Hillary Clinton will fill half of her cabinet with women

Women will be given equal representation in the US Cabinet if Hillary Clinton is elected president, a new report on the Democratic nominee has claimed.

In recent years, only a third – at most – of the president’s cabinet has been female. However, according to the New York Times, Clinton will endeavour to fill half of her cabinet with women in the first 100 days of her presidency, in the hope of “bringing a new tone and collaborative sensibility to Washington”.

“There’s an old saying, ‘Nothing about us without us’,” says Jennifer Granholm, the former Democratic governor of Michigan and a Clinton supporter. “I mean, a woman as chief of staff, Treasury secretary, a woman at Defence – it would be incredible.”

The New York Times report is based on interviews with Clinton’s closest advisers and friends, and features some fascinating tidbits about the woman who could be the most powerful female politician in the world. Apparently, Clinton has no plans to take part in a particularly masculine form of political networking: playing sports together. Instead, she'd rather have a relaxed conversation over a drink.

“She likes to cajole, she likes to make deals, and she likes to make friends,” says Richard Socarides, a former policy adviser to Bill Clinton and Hillary supporter. “And she knows it’s much harder to go after someone who you basically like, who you’ve had a drink with.” (Apparently, a drinking contest between Clinton and Republican Senator John McCain is already the stuff of “Washington legend”.)

It's also been suggested that Clinton might think outside the box when it comes to recruiting advisors. Sheryl Sandberg has been floated as a possibility, as has Apple CEO Tim Cook as a potential Cabinet Secretary, who would be the first openly gay American to fill the role.

The New York Times profile was published on the same day as an interview with Ivanka Trump, in which she appeared to court female US voters by claiming that her father Donald “is a feminist”.

Image: Rex Features

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Moya Crockett

Moya is Women’s Editor at stylist.co.uk, where she is currently overseeing the Visible Women campaign. As well as writing about inspiring women and feminism, she also covers subjects including careers, podcasts and politics. Carrying a tiny bottle of hot sauce on her person at all times is one of the many traits she shares with both Beyoncé and Hillary Clinton.